A 25-year-old driver of an Indian gold buying company has been declared wanted by the Prestea District Police Command for allegedly absconding with Ghc600,000 belonging to his employer.
The suspect, Lawrence Bekoe, who has been a driver of the company for the past eight years, was said to be travelling with one of his Indian bosses when he drove off with the money on board and left his superior behind.
The Prestea District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr. Timothy Dassah, told the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview that an Indian employee of the gold buying company, whose name he gave only as Rajat, reported the case to the police on Saturday, May 24,2014.
He said the company had its head office in Tarkwa in the Western Region and two offices at Bogoso and Dunkwa.
He said Rajat told the police that he had arrived in Ghana from India five days prior to the incident, which happened at about 8:30 a.m. on May 24,2014.
According to the Police Commander, Rajat said he travelled to the Bogoso office with Bekoe from the head office with the money in a bullion van to buy some gold.
On reaching the Bogoso office, Rajat said he stepped out of the car to ask one other Indian worker who was waiting for them in the office to come with the keys to the safe in which the money was kept which was at the back of the bullion van.
“But before the other worker could come to assist them to carry the money out of the car, the driver sped off and all attempts to get him to stop failed,” the commander said.
Mr Dassah said the police were then informed about, the incident “and after combing the area, the police found the car abandoned on the outskirts of Bogoso”.
He said the doors and windows of the car were locked and when they were forced open, the padlocks on the safe had been opened and the money was nowhere to be found.
“It could be seen that the safe had been forced open because the padlocks had been cut open and the keys to the safe were with the worker at the Bogoso office,” he added.
He said the police had. since mounted an intensive search for the driver and urged the public to assist with any information which could lead to the arrest of the suspect.
“We are yet to establish if he worked with some people or he acted alone, but as we proceed with investigations, we will piece altogether,” he stated.
